A timely tale about a little brown boy who saves Christmas.
Age Range: 6-10 years
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Page Count: 30
In the Nick of Time
Price range: $14.95 through $19.95
Description
Nick Saint never really put a lot of thought into his name until one snowy day in December when he accidentally receives a letter meant for Saint Nick. Realizing there is not much time left until Christmas, Nick opens the letter. The unexpected message inside ultimately leads him on a journey of understanding poverty, gratitude, and service to others while discovering the real meaning of the holiday spirit. In The Nick of Time is a story that is beautiful and filled with messages that all children need to hear about poverty, gratitude, and service to others.
Author Deedee Cummings
Deedee Cummings is a professional dreamer. She is also an author, therapist, attorney, and mom from Louisville, Kentucky. Cummings founded Make A Way Media in 2014 after struggling to find books with characters who looked like her own children and an extreme lack of stories that reflected their life experiences. Books published by Make A Way focus on hope, diversity, social justice, and therapeutic skills for children and adults. Her work has been featured in HuffPost, Forbes, NPR, USA Today, Essence Magazine, Psych Central, well+Good, and The EveryGirl, among other media outlets. In 2021, she was appointed to the Kentucky Early Childhood Advisory Council by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and reappointed to a second term in 2025, acknowledging her decades-long service to the children and families of Kentucky. Cummings is also the founder of The Louisville Book Festival. She was inspired to work to highlight and celebrate a culture of reading in her community after working as an in-home therapist and visiting homes of children who had no books. Cummings believes literacy is a fundamental human right. Her work highlights inspiring messages that remind us all it is never too late to begin again.
Illustrator Charlene Mosley
Charlene is a German-American fine artist and illustrator based in San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Art from San Diego State University. She has traveled worldwide to create art and to immerse herself into different cultures. Charlene has illustrated various award-winning children’s books and other literary works. Creating illustrations for children’s books has been one of the artist’s favorite things to do. Every time she reads a new manuscript, it gives her imagination the freedom to embark on another colorful journey of exploration and discovery. Besides being an illustrator, Charlene is also a muralist and fine artist.
Awards:
Purple Dragonfly Award Winner
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2019
Reviews:
New Holiday Favorite
We have a diverse family and we’re so glad to find a Christmas story where the main character is a little brown boy. The story is heartwarming and the message is one that resonated with both my boys, ages 3 and 6, and my husband and I as well. It’s a great family book and we will be reading it each year!
-Kayla
Beautiful story and illustrations
The story is very real today. It opens with Nick playing a video game. Nick does not know not everyone has the things he has. I loved how the author helped Nick understand how to help others. The illustrations for the story fit perfectly and will help young readers get into the story. This is a great story to read around Christmas because it is a Christmas book but also any time of the year. Kids will love this book!
-Love to Read
A perfect gift book
Little Nick Saint doesn’t realize the significance of his name until he mistakenly receives a letter addressed to Saint Nick. On the way to saving Christmas for a classmate, Nick learns valuable lessons on gratitude, helpfulness, caring, and sharing with those less fortunate. The illustrations by Charlene Mosley bring each scene vividly to life.
-Gina R Mitchell
